Spacesuits Old and New

Why Wear Spacesuits? Without air, you die--and not just for the obvious reasons. Yes, you need air to breathe. But air also provides pressure. You may not feel it, but the atmospheric pressure on Earth is around 14.7 pounds per square inch at sea level--roughly one kilogram pressing on every cubic centimeter of your skin. You can't live without this pressure. But on Mars, there's barely any air, and the pressure is less than 1% of Earth's. If you were exposed to this near-vacuum for a few minutes, you would die--unless you wore a pressure suit.

MOON SUIT

Current spacesuits keep astronauts surrounded by a sack of pressurized air wherever they go, making it difficult to move around. The suits are also bulky and heavy, so it's hard for astronauts to move their fingers and limbs.

NASA

MARS SUIT

Newer pressure suits that are lighter and more maneuverable will wrap astronauts with stretchy fabric that will be custom-fitted using a laser scanner. Instead of pressurized air, this suit uses a tight fabric made of spandex, nylon and a new, patented polymer to maintain pressure even when torn.